The Owl and the Pussycat
by GoldenRoya
Summary: Dodo's library refuge is home to a number of unique characters. Calico OC finds his gaze caught by the gentle yet odd Owl. Is it romance in the stacks?


_I do not own Alice, nor the nursery rhyme this is (oh so very loosely) based on. Calico, on the other hand, is my own creation and I shall fight a duel with anyone who dares try to take my bookish boy away from me! _

~~~~~***als***~~~~~

**The Owl and the Pussycat**

When Calico first arrived there, he had thought that the Great Library Refuge would be…well, cool. A refuge. Books, books everywhere, as far as the eye could see, forming great, self-supporting walls in a labyrinth of knowledge; a tree of wealth, the fruits of which were just waiting to be plucked and absorbed wholly by those for whom the pursuit of wisdom was more than mere fancy, but a sacred calling.

And indeed, there _was_ a chapel there, built of books, formed by books, with an altar made of books that bore a single, ancient tome which was opened to a hand-calligraphied page in a style so old that few today could decipher its meaning. Calico had spent much time there, pouring over it, pulling meaning from the words and exquisite, delicate illustrations.

It was all for naught, however. He stood in the gallery and looked down at the world of books, awash in a sea of artificial lighting that highlighted swirling dust. What good did all this study do? He could conjugate verbs in the ancient language, sometimes as far as nine levels deep, but how did that hurt the Queen? He could recite the Twelve Codicils of the Weremacht, but how did that win them bread? _Maybe the Queen is right,_ he despaired. _Maybe this _is_ all worthless._

Dodo came up behind him. He knew it was Dodo, because the old Resistance fighter always reeked of curry; one spice that was, unfortunately, all too common down here. "Back from your foray already, Cal?"

Calico turned, leaning back heavily against the railing. "Yah. I mean, yes sir. Slim pickings tonight, and we nearly got bagged by the Suits." He frowned in memory. It had been his third trip outside since he'd joined the Refuge, foraging for food, medical supplies, and, of course, whatever books could be found. He dug into his pocket. "Oh yeah, I thought this might be of interest to you." He held out a large, half-melted medal. He fancied that it looked like gold, but from what he'd read, that much gold ought to have been far heavier. Brass, more likely, or copper. Still, Dodo might be able to trade it for something.

The big man took it. "Hunh. Uh, good work, Calico." He clapped him absently on the shoulder and turned away, back to his office, a very distracted air hanging about him.

Right. He shouldn't have got his hopes up, wanting more. But speaking of more… His eye spotted Owl, in another gallery one floor down and just widdershins – counterclockwise – from his own position.

Calico pushed back from the rail, as if casually, but as soon as he was out of sight of the floor below, he raced for the vertical sliding rails. Ignoring the central brass pole that allowed for vertical movement amongst most of the Wonderland buildings, he dropped straight through, landing nimbly on his feet. He was leaning as-if casually against the rail, only slightly out of breath, when Owl made her timid way past.

"Morning, Owl," he greeted her with a smile.

"Oh! Calico! You startled me," she told him, an answering shy smile on her face.

He fell into step beside her. "Guard duty again today?" It was really too bad of Dodo, putting the gentle and easily intimidated Owl on the front-gate roster. She shouldn't ever have to bear the burden of toting around a weapon she was afraid of.

She bit her lip. "Uh-huh. Hatter came by. And, um… left. I don't think Dodo likes him, much. He shot him." Her eyes met his, earnestly.

As with a lot of what Owl said, Calico wasn't sure if what she said was truth or metaphor. "Uh huh. Say, Owl… I was on a foray last night. Um…" He glanced around, then drew her into a little nook, one of his favorite study spots, and just large enough for two people. He winked conspiratorially at her and pulled a package from the depths of his coat pocket. It was wrapped in a few pieces of the now-nearly-worthless paper money minted a decade before, coated liberally in a honey-based substance that kept out the damp. "Look what I found," he said, voice dropping to a whisper.

She leaned in closer, curious. "What is it, Cal?"

He peeled the sticky notes away one by one, until at last he revealed…

"What are they?" Her voice held hushed wonder.

"Snap peas," he told her. "I read about them in a book just last week. They're a vegetable."

Her eyes widened and she reached towards them, hesitantly. "I've forgotten the taste of vegetables," she murmured.

He took one up between his fingers. "Here. Open your mouth." She did, and he slid the slim green pod between her lips.

She bit into the crunchy pod with delight. "Oh! Calico! It's – it's like tasting the sun!"

Calico's face wreathed in smiles. "You like it?"

"It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted! Oh, it's wonderful!"

He pressed the entire bundle on her, all five remaining pods. "They're for you, Owl. I – I know how you've missed them." He was suddenly shy. The novels he'd read had given him the script this far, but now his memory – and his nerve – ran out on him. "I-… I- …"

"Calico!" Dodo's voice bellowed through the Refuge.

_Damn._

He smiled at her helplessly. "I'd better go see what Dodo wants," he excused himself. "Enjoy those – you deserve them, Owl." Before his nerve could fail again, he brushed his lips across her cheek and then he was off, springing nimbly away.

Owl touched her hand to the place he'd kissed, her mouth forming a silent _Oh_ as she watched him go.

Story…wasn't there a story, or a poem like this, somewhere? She tucked the packet of vegetables into her pocket, to save for later, before heading out into the bookish maze. A nursery rhyme, yes… Her gaze tracked upwards to watch Calico disappearing into Dodo's office, and her eyes crinkled. Maybe she'd best start reading those romances.

There might be some handy tips there, after all.


End file.
